No one can say it better than a former foster child.

This really encouraged me today when I was feeling overwhelmed with dealing with some issues as a foster parent. I know God has called me to do this so I will keep on loving the children who need to be shown the love of Jesus.

The Middle Mom Blog

I came across a powerful blog written by a former foster child. This young woman blew Jeff and I away with her potent and powerful picture of the reality of life within and without the system. Honestly our hearts broke for her and for the thousands and thousands of other kids that we as a society have failed miserably. Although all the information on the blog is anonymous, I found myself longing to help her.

If you are a foster parent (or even if you’re not!) the following excerpt from LT’s blog will be invaluable to you. It’s lengthy but extremely important. Here is what she had to say about what makes a good foster parent:

1. Caring and Interest
Show interest in the child. Ask what is going on in their world. Ask what they feel. They may not answer, but show that you are interested. Showing interest shows…

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Learning To Fly

I just finished reading this book by Roxanne Henke and just had to share it with you! If you are a mother or ever plan on being one, you MUST read this book! It takes you through the journey of parenting…particularly girls.

Mainly about two families who have daughters that are the same age. You get to share in the joys and sadness of mothering in infancy all the way through college. As a mother of a high school freshman this year, this book made me reminisce about the lives of my children. Read about how, as in real life, sometimes friendships grow apart because of the different lifestyles that people live. How many times, the friendships our children have affect our own friendships. It made me think about my parenting style…am I a good mother? I hope so. There are no perfect mothers, we all know that! With God’s help, we CAN get through this!

Although fiction, this book was packed full of wonderful parenting tips and advice that I hope to use.

I borrowed the only copy in the Memphis Library system so if you live in the area, it will be back on the shelves tomorrow but if not, you can get a copy of Learning to Fly from Amazon.

I will definitely be looking for more to read from Roxanne Henke!

The Knack(SM) – Where Kids Discover(SM) – Free Family Event – Back to School Personalized

The Knack(SM) – Where Kids Discover(SM) – Free Family Event – Back to School Personalized

I was on Michael’s Website and saw this event for this Saturday. Sounds cool! I hope some of you can make it out there!

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Scrapbooking

For those of you that know me well, you know that I am passionate about scrapbooking. It is important for me to preserve the memories that we make in our family. We never know when one of us will be gone. I often think about how my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren (and on and on) will sit with the albums in their laps and see what we did “back in the old days”. It makes me proud.
I started scrapbooking 14 years ago but have not been as diligent as I should and so am behind in my albums. I am right now working on our 2006 album. I enjoy seeing how we have changed in just a few short years. Before I know it, my babies will be grown up and have their own families. I will still have the albums to reminisce.
I am excited to say that I am going to start having scrapbooking sessions at my house each month so that I can help other families preserve their memories also. My first crop will be July 31st from 6 PM – Midnight. If you would like to come, bring some pics, your scrapbooking supplies and a snack to share and come enjoy a night of cutting up with other memory keepers. Please RSVP so I will have enough tables set up.
I look forward to sharing my home and passion for scrapbooking with you!

My Sister’s Keeper

My mom and I wanted to see the movie My Sister’s Keeper together but I had heard that I needed to read the book first so I bought the book and started reading it. It was 500 pages long and I had no kids here so I knew that I could finish it before we went to the movies. I finished it in 2 1/2 days and we saw the movie. I have to tell you that the book is 100% better than the movie. They left so many important things out of the movie that totally changed the whole story. If you have already seen the movie, I highly encourage you to read the book anyway. My mom read it after we saw the movie and she even agreed that the book was better!
I hate when movie producers take a good story and change it to what they think will be better. The book was fine before…they messed the story up!

National Donut Day

Today is NATIONAL DONUT DAY! How cool is that?! You can stop by your local Dunkin’ Donuts and get a free donut with any beverage purchase or head over to Krispy Kreme and get a free donut without a purchase…or if you really like donuts, go to both 🙂

Bass Pro Shops Summer Camp

My husband’s Bass Pro Shops ad came in the mail the other day and I saw that they were doing this really cool Summer Camp every weekend from May 30th – July 5th and thought it would be something great to share with my friends!
My family LOVES camping and doing anything outdoors so this is right up our alley! If you have never been to a Bass Pro Shop, you really should stop by one soon. It is not just a store…it is more like a museum! I am not a “window shopper” at all…in fact, I HATE doing it but Bass Pro is one of the places where I enjoy doing that! Weird, I know! We can seriously spend a lot of time and little money when we go in there. So many cool things to see and do. SO, look up your local store and stop by this weekend for some great family fun!

Home Depot Kids Workshop for June

That is right! This Saturday is another Kids Workshop at Home Depot! This week they are making a Hardware Sorter Box! What a great FATHER’S DAY gift! Head on over to your local Home Depot and have your kids make one for their dad!

Camping Trip Pictures

As promised, here are the rest of the pictures from our camping trip.

All of these pictures were taken with my Blackberry because for some reason, my regular camera will not hold it’s charge. Maybe it is time to replace it.

We really had a fantastic time and I am SOOOO glad that we were able to do this. William has not been home very much lately and the kids really needed some “Daddy time”. They got tons of it this weekend. William was so amazing too. He did everything and I didn’t HAVE to do anything! He cooked all of the meals, cleaned the dishes, took care of the dogs and kids….WOW! I was able to just sit back and relax. Of course, I asked him if he wanted me to help and he said no. Isn’t he awesome?! I am thankful that God gave me such an amazing man to share my life with.

I hope you all have a great week and get a chance to spend some time with the people that you love. Be blessed!